Conned by a Kid
by AoiLegend
Summary: Who would've thought that a 5 yr old could be such a genius prodigy? Little Neal Caffrey, budding conman, is adopted by the Burkes. Can they steer him away from his illegal tendencies, or open up his tiny broken heart? No boy should ever witness as much as Neal has and someone needs to save him from his destructive path.
1. Cracker Jacks and Con-kids

**So this is my story about a five year old Neal who hits the streets running. An adorable tale focused around Neal being loved by the Burke family as they try to mend his broken heart. Poor Neal has seen such wicked sights for being so young and there isn't an ounce of trust left in him. Can this little genius be tamed? Read and find out!**

Peter shuffled quickly down the stairs while tying his tie around his neck; he had overslept and was going to be late to work. When he walked into the kitchen sweet aromas filled his nostrils as he saw his wonderful wife had already set out a plate of bacon and pancakes along with coffee just the way he liked it. He wrapped Elizabeth up in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips, "Thanks Hon." She beamed a dazzling smile and lifted her hands around his neck to flatten out his collar over his tie as her rushing husband had left it up by accident.

"No problem sweetie, now go eat!" She said lovingly as she ushered him to the table. She sat down beside him and took a sip of her own coffee. Peter barely had time to finish half of his breakfast before he looked at his watch and a renewed sense of urgency came over him. "Here, you go get your jacket and I will wash your plate," El said has she took the plate willing to help her husband. She had to go into work soon as well, but she wasn't in such a hurry.

"How did I ever get so lucky," Peter answered with an adoring grin as he got up to fetch his suit jacket. Just as he was ready to walk out the door, the doorbell ring filled the house. He opened the door but strangely no one was there; until he looked down. At his feet stood a small boy with bright crystal blue eyes, wavy dark hair, and in an adorable boy scouts uniform. The child barely rose above Peter's knee and the tall man had to bend down a little to look the boy in his ocean blue eyes. "Hey there kiddo, what brings you to my door step?" he asked hurriedly not wanting to waste time.

The little boy gave an incredible sales pitch smile and said in a precious voice, "My name is Aiden Monroe and I'm a boy scout!" The charming child held up what looked like a catalog and spoke again, "I'm selling Cracker Jacks to raise money for my troop, would you like to buy some?"

Peter smiled at the little kid who hardly even looked old enough to be in boy scouts, "I love Cracker Jacks, of course I'll buy some," he told him. At this time Elizabeth arrived at her husband's side only to gasp at the unbearable cuteness before her. "But hey buddy, I really have to get to work so I'm going to let you talk to my wife, she will buy some," he said as he turned to her wife with a smile and a wink. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before stepping out of the doorway past the tiny boy and walked swiftly to his car.

El took her place in front of the child and put her hands on her knees to lessen the height difference, "Hey there sweetie, what's your name?" The child's blue eyes sparkled along with a grin as he repeated his name. For the first time El wondered why the boy scout would be here in the morning and alone as well. "Why are you here at this time of day? Shouldn't you be at school?" she inquired with plenty of care and sweetness in her voice, "And where is your daddy?"

The little boy didn't skip a beat as he answered her question, "My school hasn't started yet; we start at nine. And my daddy is around the block," he turned and pointed in some direction down the street before justifying his reply, "he wants me to learn inda-pen-dance," he said sounding out the big word.

El smiled warmly at the cute little boy and ruffled his soft dark waves, "How old are you anyway? And we will take four boxes of Cracker Jacks," she said knowing how much her husband enjoyed the caramel popcorn. She remembered how he told her how he and his dad would snack on it while watching baseball games.

Aiden held out the form with a pen for her to sign her order, "I am five, and so is each box so that will be twenty dollars." He seemed to radiate an aura that showed he was proud of his intelligence. Elizabeth laughed at his smart little answer and applauded his math skills. "Oh and we only take cash," he added.

Elizabeth reached into her purse, pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to the tiny business man who quickly stuffed it into an envelope. After the boy politely thanked the nice lady he ended with something strange, "Your Jacks will be here in two weeks. Enjoy your waiting and bu-bye!" With that he turned and hopped down the steps.

Caught off guard with that sudden exit El gave a giggle and called goodbye after the small figure that disappeared down the sidewalk.

After he left the residential area little Neal made his way to a food stand carrying the envelope of money he had just made. Even at the tender age of five, this little conman was a smooth criminal. He peeked a glance at his plunder which he had counted at two hundred and forty dollars. A sly grin covered his irresistible face.

A week ago he had watched as a kid a couple years older than him went door to door with his father collecting money from people. Curious, the street orphan asked the uniformed boy what he was doing. He had learned that with just a uniform and a catalog there was a much easier way of obtaining money rather than picking pockets like he had been doing. Neal felt a little bit of guilt from sneaking into the other kid's house and pilfering his uniform and catalog, but that shame left quickly as he had made his first easy money.

The child sat down on a bench in the park to enjoy his omelet sandwich for breakfast. Despite his young age, he had a well-educated taste pallet. Neal was not surprised at all as a short bald man approached him and sat down next to him. "Alright small one, I admit you are good for such a tiny street urchin," The odd man sighed.

Neal nodded his head with a proud grin, "Yah Mozzie, so now I get to be your distraction right?"

"You're hired," Mozzie said with a sigh. A few days before he had been talking with a partner about a jewel heist they had planned. Everything was set, except they needed a distraction for the security guard as Mozzie disabled the cameras. Unknown to the clever criminal, what he had thought to be an inconspicuous location backfired as a genius kid had been eavesdropping. Unexpectedly the boy piped in on their conversation and offered to be their distraction for a hundred bucks. At first the two thieves had laughed and denied that they knew what the kid was talking about, but the kid insisted that he wasn't stupid and then repeated their plan word for word. Shocked, Mozzie inquired about how they were to trust him and the boy had told the older man about his little cons and invited him to watch in order to prove that he could do the job.

The incredibly intelligent child had a smug grin on his face as he added nonchalantly, "Oh and by the way, I want two hundred dollars now." Mozzie's mouth dropped and he was about to offer a rebuttal when the child stopped him, "Look, I went to the library and looked into the place your robbing. According to your plan you're going to make off with a few million dollars, giving me two hundred is like a drop in the bucket!" To further enunciate his proposition he stuck his tongue out.

Unexpectedly Mozzie let out an impressed chuckle, "You are a talented little conman. I like you." He placed a hand on the small shoulder beside him, "I shall train you and together we shall do great things," the man said excitedly as he thought how useful having a five year old kid in his pocket would be.

A couple days later Peter and his team sat in the conference room trying to get to the bottom of their current case. No evidence, no surveillance footage, just millions of dollars in gems were gone. The only lead they had to go on was that the security guard was distracted by a small boy who stumbled into the shop crying a river of tears. Worried, the kind man had left his post monitoring surveillance cameras and attended to the child only to learn that he was lost and couldn't find his mommy. After he had finally distinguished a name from the kid's sobbing he went back behind his desk to call for help only to find that all security was disabled. Utterly confused he turned around to discover that not only was the security missing, but so was the distraught child. Catching on to the suspicious activity, he checked the vault and reported the stolen stones.

Now all Agent Burke had to go off of was the mysterious child's supposed name: Aiden Monroe. And that name seemed all too familiar.

**Don't forget to review! Because reviews are love and encouragement and they make me happy :)**


	2. Stolen Uniforms and Lobster Rewards

**Yay next chapter is up and Neal is just as adorable as ever! My laptop was getting fixed so I couldn't upload anything but then I realized that it wasn't even that long since I put of the first chapter, but I was still so excited to write more. Thank you for all of the reviews I received, I appreciate them so much and it made me really happy that all of you are enjoying this story! I know this five year old genius seems a bit far fetched, but at the same time I imagine intelligent little Neal could've pulled it off, and even if it is improbable, it's still adorable. Enjoy the chapter!**

Peter sat in his office looking over his team working frantically to discover a lead on the most recent gem heist. The case file sat open on his desk but all he could think about was Aiden Monroe, and he had a suspicious feeling that the crying boy was not simply a coincidence. Despite the familiarity of the name, the agent couldn't quite pinpoint where he had heard it from. They had searched the supposed name but nothing had been found on the child and they could only assume it was a made-up name. On a whim, he phoned his wife. Maybe she would have some advice for him? "Hey Hon," he began when the melodic voice answered the phone. "You're not busy are you?"

"No, I'm on a lunch break at the moment. What's up?" Elizabeth could sense that he wasn't just calling to check up on her, so it must've had to do with work.

"El, I was wondering, do you remember hearing the name Aiden Monroe?" he asked slowly as if not sure if it was a pointless question or not. But a pleasant surprise met his ears in response.

"Yah of course, that was the little boy scout who sold us cracker jacks almost a week ago."

"That's it!" he exclaimed. No wonder he hadn't remembered exactly, he had been in a rush that morning and had barely even processed the name that the little boy gave him. "Thanks a ton. You don't happen to recall the troop number on his uniform do you?" he inquired with a small glimmer of hope.

On the other end of the phone El closed her eyes and tried to picture the adorable little boy at her front door step. A navy blue uniform, a yellow scarf, and the numbers 7442 printed on his chest. She relayed this information to her husband.

"Perfect El! Thank you so much Hon," After the lovey-dovey couple exchanged their "I love you" s Peter hung up and got back to work. "Jones, do me a favor and run the Boy Scout troop number 7442. I need to know if there was an Aiden Monroe registered," he commanded with confidence in his new lead. He couldn't believe that he was going through a five year child in attempt to find his criminal. "Diana, put NYPD on the lookout for the boy," Agent Burke said as he handed her a picture of the child they had gotten on the security camera before it was disabled. Diana gave a nod and headed off to her desk phone.

Quicker than Peter had expected, his junior agent had a list of all the registered members of troop 7442; Aiden Monroe was not one of them. "Alright so Aiden's not in this troop, but are you sure Elizabeth remembered the numbers correctly?" Jones questioned as a possibility.

"No she positive, and after she said that I can kind of remember seeing those numbers as well," Peter sighed as he shook his head.

"Wait boss," Jones anchored in the lead agent with the sudden excitement in his voice. "Look here, an eight year old in the troop named Conner Bradly reported his uniform missing and his parents ordered him another one!"

Peter put a hand on his agent's shoulder, "Great work Jones, get me an address for the Bradly family.

Peter made haste as he drove to the address Jones had given him. He couldn't shake his gut feeling that somehow this missing boy scouts uniform could lead him to missing precious stones. At the same time, there was a less comfortable feeling that this was a dead end and had no relation to his case. But none the less, he rang the doorbell.

Agent Burk flashed his credentials and quickly explained in a calming voice that he just wanted to ask their son some questions about his Boy Scout troop. He was lead to a homely living room much like his own and sat down in a comfortable arm chair. The eight year old sat across from the federal agent in between his parents.

"Conner, you said that your Boy Scout uniform went missing?" Peter began heading straight to the point.

At first the little boy simply nodded his head, but then after a twist of his mouth responded, "Mommy and Daddy think that I just left it somewhere since we checked the whole house and still couldn't find it. But I think someone stole it!"

The father put an arm around his boy before jumping in, "Now Conner, remember what we talked about? Why would anyone want to steal your Boy Scout uniform?"

It was a mentionable point, but Peter put up a hand to signify to the father that they were entertaining this idea. "Why would you think someone stole it?" The agent asked gently. Kids had always made the talented agent feel slightly uncomfortable and past his area of expertise, but now questioning this child was the only lead they had on a case. He needed to muster up all of the careful techniques he had learned from El about how to deal with children.

"Because when I woke up one morning, my window was slightly cracked open and there was wind blowin through it!" Conner said with wide chocolate brown eyes. "Momma said I probably opened it sometime and didn't close it properly, but I know for sure that I didn't open my window at all!

Peter gave a nod in order to encourage the little boy whose mother had an unsatisfied look on her face. "So by any chance," the agent began as he held up a picture of the boy from the jewelry store, "have you ever seen this little boy? Is he a part of your troop?"

Conner took the picture and looked closely at it scrunching up his nose. Then his face lit up like a light bulb. "Yah! He's not in my troop, but one day when Daddy and I was sellin Cracker Jacks for Boy Scouts, this kid came up and asked me what I was doing!"

Peter smiled, that was all he needed. The usually quick-witted agent wasn't sure how a five year old managed to steal a Boy Scout uniform, or how the kid related to the jewel heist, but he knew once they found the boy then they could piece together this strange puzzle.

After leaving the Bradly's house, Peter picked up a call from Diana, "Boss, an officer saw a boy who matched the description of Aiden and picked him up off the street. We have the kid in the office now and he looks identical to the picture we have."

Peter had one hand on the wheel and the other held his cellphone to his ear. "Great I'm on my way and I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he said excitedly. "Did you call his parents?"

"No, there's a slight dilemma. He says his name is Ben and the number he gave us for his parents isn't picking up. He won't even give us a last name." Peter sighed, of course this kid had to be difficult.

"Okay just wait until I get there," he ordered before hanging up and focusing on getting there as fast as he could without breaking any traffic laws.

Peter entered the white collar division only to be met by bright blue eyes looking up to him in terror. Agent Burke bent down to be almost eye level with the tiny kid and spoke kindly but with a sly intent, "Hey there Ben," The boy scrunched up his nose as he figured what was coming. "Funny that you told my friend Diana that your name was Ben, since the other day you told my wife and I that your name was Aiden Monroe. Remember? You sold us Cracker Jacks?" Peter grinned as the little boy's mouth twisted and he looked at Peter's chin rather than his eyes.

"Uh-oh… Busted," The child pouted.

Peter sat the small boy across from him in the conference room; he didn't want to intimidate Aiden by using the interrogation room. Unexpectedly however, the child did not seem to be scared, but rather he was bummed. "So Aiden, if that even is your name, why don't you tell me who your parents are so I can call them?" The agent asked kindly.

The little mop of brown waves simply shook his head, "They don't have phones."

Peter resisted rolling his eyes, "Well there must be some way to reach them. Can you give me their last names? Maybe you even want to tell me your real name?"

Again the boy just closed his big blue eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes he looked directly at Peter, making such eye contact that the older man felt that those cerulean orbs were searching the depths of his soul. "They're gone, you can't reach them. They left me."

The strings in Peter's heart gave a tug at what seemed to be such a pitiful answer, but the small tyke didn't even shed a tear. It was as if he was trying to put on a tough act.

Peter decided to move on with his questioning, "What were you doing in the jewelry shop the other day then?" the agent slipped a picture in front of the boy that proved as evidence.

Aiden looked at the picture for a second before returning his gaze to Peter's warm brown eyes. "I demand to know my charges."

Peter couldn't help his mouth dropping. Who in the world was this five year old boy? "What do you mean kiddo? We haven't charged you with anything; you're not even in trouble." Peter folded his arms on top of the table before adding, "Although you may be in trouble if you lie to us and refuse to tell us anything." He could see the little boy's gears turning inside his head as he formulated his response.

Poor little Neal, he knew that if the big federal agent knew everything then he would be cooped up in an orphanage. Despite his small stature, he much preferred it on the streets. Neal was free, he could do whatever he wanted, eat whatever he wanted, and live wherever he wanted. It wasn't hard for such a young boy to weasel his way into an empty apartment or sneak into an expensive hotel. The last several months on the streets he had been living large and finally enjoying his life. Even though he was only five, his intelligence soared above even some adults and his awareness of the way the world works was astounding. His early street smarts were incredible; and he definitely didn't want to be sent to some foster home where he was bothersome and everyone ignored him. But most of all, he didn't want to end up anywhere that someone could hurt him, and at least if he was on the streets he could run away. Adults couldn't simply be trusted at all.

Neal didn't want to get in trouble so he made a small effort to be obedient, "My real name is Neal, but that's all you're gonna get!" His voice was small and vulnerable when introducing his real name but towards the end his feisty spirit kicked in. The little boy stuck out his tongue to further show that that was the extent of his compliance.

The agent tried to plaster a warm smile on his face knowing that his was a breakthrough, but yet he was still aggravated by the attitude. "Okay Neal. I know it's almost dinner time and I'm sure you're hungry, so how a bout we do a little exchange?" Peter said taking a different approach. "If you tell me what you were doing at the jewelry shop, and no lying, then I will buy you whatever you want to eat for dinner."

The little boy's mouth watered seeing the potential he could squeeze from this deal. But at the same time, if he told the whole truth, he really could get in trouble. Also he didn't want to turn Mozzie in, the strange man had proved to be a good friend and paid Neal all the money he was owed as well as watched out for him. He taught Neal a lot of things over the past couple of days and had even given him some really interesting books to read. At first Mozzie had been surprised at the five year old's high level of reading, but was then eager to give him books that were actually interesting and weren't like dumb kiddy books. The crook had taken it upon himself to train the little diamond in the ruff. "Okay," Neal finally gave a little sigh at last. He figured giving the agent a bone would suffice. "A man paid me two hundred dollars to go in and distract the man at the front desk," Neal said with a convincingly innocent smile.

After Peter had decided that this probably wasn't a lie, he continued prodding, "Do you know the man's name? What did he look like?"

Neal gave an adorable yawn hoping it would improve his credibility before answering in a sweet voice, "He didn't tell me his real name, and he was bald." The little conman smiled brightly on the inside; there was no lie in his answer. Mozzie was not the man's real name nor had he told him his real name, so that worked perfectly. Plenty of men were bald and that description was certainly suitable coming from a five year old. A smug little look appeared on his face, "Oh and I want lobster for dinner." The little boy might as well milk his only opportunity. Christmas was only a couple days away and this could be counted as a good Christmas treat.

Agent Burke sighed realizing that he wasn't going to get anything else tonight. At the mention of lobster his mouth dropped for the second time during the questioning. "Lobster?! You're five! I thought you'd want a cheeseburger or something simple! Toddlers eat chicken fingers, not lobster!" Peter said flabbergasted.

Neal kicked his feet happily; it prided him to be difficult and he was also proud of his exquisite taste. "I'm not a toddler!" he said offended; he was definitely a big boy. "And you promised I could have anything!" the adorable little boy stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and delivered his best puppy dog eyes.

Peter groaned and stepped out of the office to call his wife. If he was going to be buying lobster tonight he might as well treat the love of his life; even if there was a kid tagging along.

**Don't forget to leave a review! And Merry Christmas everyone! I hope to have a chapter up before Christmas and it will be about Christmas at the Burke's for sly little Neal!**


	3. Silk Pajamas and Sealing Deals

**Okay so this chapter is a quick follow up and just settles everything in. Another chapter focussing on Christmas at the Burke's will be following so stay tuned! Hopefully I will have it up before Christmas day, but if I don't then I will get it up afterwards. **

Peter met his wife at the nice restaurant he had scoped out; it served lobster but yet it wasn't too expensive. Neal was in tow behind the strong man when he wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and gave her a kiss on the lips. The little boy mumbled yucky and stuck his tongue out at the couple without their noticing. After greeting her husband El dropped down to address the boy, "You're a little trouble maker now aren't ya?" she joked as she ruffled his hair. Peter had told her all about his discoveries that day before they met up. "We aren't getting our Cracker Jacks are we?"

Neal pursed his lips slightly flustered that she had brought that up. He thought he had gotten away with his little Boy Scout con. "Well not from meee buuuuut you could go to da store and buy some? By da way… they're non-refundable," The blue-eyed boy elongated his answer and gave his cutest puppy dog look while even throwing in a little lisp. Elizabeth gave a kind-hearted chuckle and Peter just rolled his eyes. He still couldn't cox out the method of how the small boy had stolen the uniform in the first place. Whenever the curious agent brought anything up the little tyke would just stick out his bottom lip and put on an adorable pair of puppy dog eyes. Then Neal would say '_A kid's gotta eat_' and Peter's heart would clench. How could anyone abandon such an adorable little boy? Maybe his parents were dead, if so, how come he wasn't put in a foster home or adopted by relatives?

The three sat around a circular table in the elegantly decorated restaurant. All three were dressed exceptionally; of course Peter was in a suit, El had worn a beautiful knee length scarlet dress, and little Neal even looked dashing. Neal always had fine taste in clothing and wanted to look upper class rather than the street rat he really was. He wore a baby blue button down shirt made of the richest fabric along with cute child size khaki dress pants and tiny dress shoes. The blue of his shirt made his eyes stand out even more. But the most adorable thing was how Neal's little head barely came up over the table and all the couple could see was the boy from his neck up; the stubborn little child had refused a booster seat.

When the waiter came with the menus and handed Neal a kids menu he shook his head when he saw there was no lobster for the children and looked pleadingly at Peter. Peter sighed and told the boy he could order off of his and El's menu. For a thanks Peter received a large toothy grin.

Elizabeth had so many questions she wanted to ask her husband but she couldn't do it in front of the curious witness. So when Neal announced he needed to go to the restroom she saw her chance. Peter offered to take him but Neal boldly refused saying he didn't need a babysitter and El agreed due to her ulterior motive. When Neal was out of earshot the worried woman began, "Peter where is Neal going to stay? You said he told the FBI his parents were gone and he didn't have a home? Does he have a relative he can stay with?" She shot question after question and her patient husband did the best he could to pacify her worries.

"I don't know El, Neal won't even give us his last name, how are we supposed to find relatives for him?" he sighed heavily before saying what he knew his wife would hate. "The only option we have is putting him in a boy's home. I will have to drop him off after our dinner."

The gorgeous woman's mouth dropped, "Peter Burke you cannot put that little angel in a boy's home! It's only two days before Christmas; imagine how miserable it must be to spend Christmas in an orphanage!" Convicted passion shone in her voice.

"I know Hon, but we don't have any other choice," Peter said regretfully.

"Yes we do, he can stay with us!" She replied adamantly.

Her husband's mouth gaped a little before he could respond, "But El… I don't know how to take care of a five year old. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Think about it, it's actually a good solution. It's not permanent, but just until we find some relatives he can stay with. You need him as he is the only witness on the heist you're investigating, what better way to keep him close in case you get a suspect?"

Peter thought the idea over in his head for a while. It wasn't actually a bad idea; besides for the fact that they would have a manipulative tiny criminal in their house. At last the man agreed, "Okay Honey, if you insist."

"I do," El smiled right before the boy in question climbed onto his seat across from the couple. When he saw Elizabeth smiling lovingly at him and turned to see a concerned look on Peter's face, he knew something was up.

"What'd I miss," he piped up hesitantly. He rested his adorable chin on the table cloth and fought back a yawn. All of today's excitement was taking a toll on his tiny body.

"Neal sweetie, how would you like to stay with Peter and me for Christmas?" El said gently. The couple could see his blue eyes widen in shock.

"But, but I have—" The youngster stopped after releasing his illegal methods in weaseling his way into the four-star hotel he was staying in. The boy furrowed his brow as he mulled over the pros and cons of staying with the Burke family. He couldn't be free on the street like he wanted and it would be harder to run away from their home than the orphanage they were probably going to bring him to. But he imagined the warm home-cooked meals and the beautiful Christmas tree. Plus he could always sneak his way out eventually. After a while of his mischievous ways, no one ever wanted him. The little boy finished his response with a nod, "Okay, it's a deal."

Even the nervous Peter smiled an expression of relief; despite his awkwardness with children, he still wanted to help the tiny tyke and could see he had been through a lot. Maybe a nice family was just what the boy needed. El radiated warm kindness as she reached over and took Neal's tiny hand, "Sounds good sweetie, now is there any stuff of yours we can pick up after dinner on the way home?" Neal's face twisted as he thought of his silk pajamas in the Four Season's illegally obtained hotel room. Instead he just shook his head with mops of brown curls bouncing around. Luckily he was saved by the food.

Their waiter brought over three enormous plates filled with delicious food, and of course, Neal's lobster. The little boy's plate was almost as big as he was and Peter groaned knowing there was no way he could eat all of that food. But the tiny squirt did good as he finished all of his lobster and only had to box the side dishes. Peter tried to stay calm while paying the bill and fought off an agonizing expression.

Elizabeth drove home in her own car while Peter took the boy in his. For half of the ride home the federal agent listened to the kid's ramblings about fine art and how many of today's artists were a sorry excuse. They had passed a museum billboard on their way home that announced the display of a modernist artist that Neal apparently thought was rubbish. But after a lull in the conversation, Peter looked over to see the child sleeping peacefully will his mouth slightly parted. The agent couldn't resist but smiling with adoration at the cute little boy. And when Peter entered his home cradling the five year old in his arms Elizabeth almost melted at the adorable sight. The strong man carried Neal in his arms and gently laid him in the guest bed. Elizabeth used her dormant mothering skills to tuck the child in and even brushed his hair away from his forehead as she planted a soft kiss on his smooth baby skin. Peter gave her a questioning look and she responded with a shrug expressing that she couldn't help herself. The two left the door cracked as they returned downstairs to discuss their new charge and the plans that needed to be made.

**Don't forget to review and thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews I've already received! **


	4. Prisma-Color Pencils and Presents

**I'm sorry it took a while for me to get this chapter up; I hoped I could get it up on Christmas day, but I didn't :( Thank you so much for all of you who reviewed! So here it is and it's super long and that is my Christmas present to all of you! Enjoy!**

Peter and Elizabeth sat at their kitchen table sipping coffee when a bed-headed little boy came pattering down the stairs. He stumbled sleepily over to the adults at the table and El had to stifle a giggle at how silly yet adorable he looked. The child's nice dress shirt was halfway untucked and hitched up on one side while the sleeve on the other side was pushed up. To top things of, little Neal had stray curls poking out all over his head and his sleepy blue eyes hung half open. The motherly figure stood up and went over to the small child and smoothed out his shirt as well as his hair. "Good morning sweetie, merry Christmas Eve!" she cooed.

Neal mumbled a thank you when Elizabeth fixed him up, normally he would've fussed saying he was a big boy, but he wasn't awake enough for that. "Ga' mownin, merwy Chwistmas Eve ta you too," he said with a sleepy smile as he walked past El and Peter into the kitchen. He reached up onto the counter towards the coffee machine and pulled the pot out.

Elizabeth swiftly made her way over to the child and put her hand on the coffee pot and shook her head as she took it from him. Peter chuckled, "Sorry Squirt, you're too young to have coffee." Neal looked over at him and stuck out his bottom lip in protest. Then he looked to El with his brightest, biggest blue puppy dog eyes.

"Pweease Elizabef? Just a cup," he pleaded.

Elizabeth replaced the pot into its rightful place and tapped the boy on his nose, "Nope, sorry Neal but Peter is right." The little boy grumbled but was not mentally prepared for arguing persuasively. Instead he made his way past El to the pantry as he surveyed for some breakfast food. "Neal, sweetie, why don't you go sit at the table with Peter while I make everyone some breakfast?" Elizabeth offered sweetly as she placed her hands on the boy's shoulders and steered him to sit at the kitchen table. Neal did as he was told but wondered to himself. No one had ever made breakfast for him; he wasn't used to this at all. He sat next to Peter who had the morning paper hiding his face as he engrossed himself with reading. The boy decided that he wouldn't bother the older man with talking, but rather sat on his knees, propped his elbows up on the table and read the side of the paper that Peter wasn't looking at.

Curious as to what the figure in front of him was doing, the man lowered the paper enough to peer at the young boy eagerly reading the backside of the news. "Neal, are you actually reading this?" Peter asked surprised; surely a five year old couldn't read the New York Times.

The boy nodded his little head and then added, "I'm a very good reader; I read all sorts of hard books."

"Really?" Peter asked with slight disbelief. When the boy nodded again and continued on with his reading, Peter requested, "Can you read out loud for me? I want to hear what your reading."

The child didn't respond but simply began reading aloud, "In 1998, Robert Evans, the least bashful producer in Hollywood, suffered three strokes in rapid succession. Their combined effects were so debil-itat-ing that it was not clear whether Mr. Evans would ever walk, talk or chase women again. But as his new memoir, "The Fat Lady Sang," makes clear, at least Mr. Evans's capacity for bragging and self-promotion remained mercifully unimpaired." Neal finished reading the paragraph with very little mistakes and only sounding out one word.

"Great job Bud, you are a good reader," Peter applauded. Then he was curious how Neal knew how to pronounce memoir; the other words he could sound out if he didn't know them, but memoir was not spelled how it sounded and it was French in origin. "How did you know how to pronounce memoir?" he decided to ask as he set down the paper focusing all of his attention on the little boy in front of him.

"I've read people's memoirs before," he stated simply. "And I'm learning French." Peter's eyes widened in disbelief; was there anything this tyke couldn't do? Maybe he should try and get the squirt to play baseball. The baseball fanatic could only imagine the potential this intelligent kid could have.

Joy filled the child's face as Elizabeth set down a beautiful plate of sausage and toast in front of both boys. "Merci Mademoiselle!" Neal piped in gratitude for the food, but also to show off his French skills to Peter.

Elizabeth laughed at the child's use of another language although she knew exactly what it meant, "You're welcome." The motherly figure ran her hand through the little boy's curls.

After all three were finished eating Elizabeth stood from her chair, "Okay Peter, I leave cleaning up to you and Neal. I need to go shopping." She winked at Peter indicating her shopping would be for the little boy in between them. The kind woman was going to buy some new clothes and maybe a few toys for her new charge.

"Okay, the boys will do their share," Pete said as he brought the plates over to the sink but then whirled around when the realization hit him. "Wait a minute, you're leaving the kid here with me?!" Neal looked a little offended at this comment and Peter stepped closer to El and lowered his voice so the child couldn't hear. "I don't know how to take care of a five year old!"

Elizabeth laughed, "You'll be fine." She got down at Neal's height and put a hand on his tiny shoulder, "You'll be a good boy, won't you?" she asked kindly. Neal smiled and nodded his head yes. Usually he didn't like it when people used that kiddy tone with him and called him a good boy, but when Elizabeth said it she sounded so genuine. He decided that only she was allowed.

After saying kissing Peter goodbye, Neal even let Elizabeth hug him. And then the boys were left alone and Peter was out of his element. Sly little Neal could sense the agent's discomfort and decided to use it as his advantage. "So um kiddo, what do you wanna do?" the older man asked hesitantly.

A smile lit the boy's face as he answered, "I like art! Do you have any colored pencils or paint? Crayons are no good!" It was necessary to emphasize the last part in order to get what he wanted. Peter rummaged through drawers looking for the requested items but came up empty. He only found a couple crayons from when his nephew had come over, but crayons were no good.

"Alright, grab your coat and we will head off to the arts and crafts store," Peter sighed in defeat.

When they arrived at the store Peter took Neal's hand and led him through the isles while the boy picked out some acrylic paints and Prisma-Color pencils. Both supplies were very mature for a five year old and Peter knew enough to figure that children usually used Rose Art pencils and little kiddie paints. "Are you sure you want these ones? These supplies are for adults."

"Nope, I definitely need these ones," The little boy said adamantly. Peter gave a sigh but complied with the youngsters request; it was Christmas Eve after all. Neal saw how easy it was to convince Peter and tried to swindle him into buying some canvas, but it didn't fly. All he got was a multi-purpose sketch pad.

The two boys arrived home and Neal got started on drawing in his new sketch pad while Peter settled into watching a baseball game. A couple hours had passed and Elizabeth had walked in on Neal sitting at the kitchen table with Satchmo by his side while Peter watched TV in the living room. The man got up to greet his wife but El shushed him before he could say anything. She motioned her head towards Neal at the table who had not turned around yet and Peter put two and two together to figure the bags in her hands must be the boy's Christmas presents. The strong Man took half of the bags out of his wife's hands and helped her upstairs. Once safely in their own bedroom the two put the bags down and Peter wrapped his wife in a hug and gave her a kiss. "Hey Hon," he smiled.

"Hey, how was your day?" she asked returning her love's smile.

"It was uneventful," he stated plainly. "We went shopping for some art supplies."

"Well I'm glad it was easy," she said as she turned her husband around and pushed him out the door. "Now I have to wrap presents and you're back to babysitting," she said with a wink and shut the door. Peter gave a disappointed sigh but returned downstairs to Neal who had noticed his missing presence. The little boy sat quietly just staring at the Christmas tree that contained only Peter's and El's presents under it.

Looking over the boy's shoulder at his sketch pad, Peter's jaw dropped. Neal had sketched a beautiful drawing of Satchmo lying under the Christmas tree, fully decorated, with the few presents scattered underneath. The boy had used many shades and hues of each color and the drawing looked nothing like what a five year old was capable of, but rather a masterful piece that most adults couldn't even draw. The little boy smiled up at Peter's shocked gaze and then turned to Satchmo and petted his head. Little arms wrapped around the dog's neck and the boy put his face up to the side of the golden lab and whispered, "He doesn't know me at all Satch, not at all."

A while after dinner, Peter and Elizabeth came downstairs with mini mountains of presents wrapped in all kinds of Christmas patterned paper. Neal stood in the family room with his jaw dropped to the floor as his wide blue eyes took in the site in front of him. He watched awestruck as the couple placed the red and green packages with golden bows under the tree. There were even some blue snowflake presents. He dove on his knees to the presents and surveyed each one and saw that his name was written on them. Neal. He turned to stare at the couple standing above him with wide caring smiles on their faces and their hands wrapped around each other. And then tears welled up in his crystal blue eyes and began to spew down his soft rosy cheeks.

El quickly dropped down next to the boy and wrapped him in her arms, "What's wrong sweetie?" Peter still stood dazed at the scene of the child crying. Out of all the reactions he imagined, a happy child jumping around saying thank you or an eager boy wanting to rip through the wrapping, a sobbing Neal anywhere on the list. He lowered himself next to the boy and rubbed the child's back not really sure how to comfort a crying child. "Neal honey, you can talk to us." El said in a comforting voice.

The little boy looked up at the adult's faces through tears in his eyes. "I-I've neber g-gotten a Chw-Chwistmas pw-pwesent befowe," he sobbed. El let out an aww and her face expressed that her heart had just melted. Peter's own heart clenched at the poor boy in front of him and he could only imagine what the small child must've suffered through. He wished he could ask Neal about it but knew that this was not the time. Then Neal tried saying something else, "An-And I didn't g-get y-you guys any pw-pwesents," he said in between sobs.

Peter instinctively pulled the broken child into his lap and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh it's okay buddy. You didn't know we were getting you anything and we certainly don't need presents. We just want you to have the best Christmas you possibly can," he spoke softly. El gave a loving smile to her husband telepathically praising him for comforting the child. And it was working, Neal burrowed his head into Peter's chest and his cries slowly turned into sniffles. El continued stroking the boy's hair and wiped away his tears.

When the small boy had been pacified El lifted the child out of her husband's lap and held him around her waist. His little head cradled into the nook of the woman's neck and shoulder and his tiny fingers grasped her shirt. Normally the independent boy wouldn't display such affection but he was already half asleep and did so unconsciously. Both adults couldn't help but smile in adoration at the little boy. "I think it's time for bed," El said gently to the little boy in her arms as well as her husband. "I got you some new pajamas today too that you can wear."

Neal opened his shiny blue eyes and looked at Peter, "I need my art stuff." Peter nodded and gathered the boy's supplies as he followed his wife carrying the child upstairs.

After Neal was dressed in his little blue Superman pajamas, the couple tucked him in and

El gave him a goodnight kiss on his sweet little forehead. "Merry Christmas Neal and goodnight. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you can open up presents."

Peter stood in the doorway behind her wife, "Goodnight Buddy, sleep well." And with that, the two budding parents returned downstairs.

The next morning, Peter groggily awoke and rolled over to kiss his wife good morning. El did the same although she was a little more aware and spoke a gentle _merry Christmas _to her husband. After both had dressed suitably they headed downstairs only to find a bright eyed boy fidgeting excitedly on the couch. In his arms was a thin mess of wrapping paper that looked as if there were no present in it. But he ran up to the two adults as they stepped down of the stairs and held it up to them with a proud beam on his face. "Merry Christmas!" he squealed happily.

"Oh and what's this?" Peter said with a chuckle as he took the thin wrapping paper, but as he held it in his hands he could tell there was something like a sheet of sturdy paper inside.

"It's a present I made you!" Neal chirped. "I woke up reeaaally early this morning to make it. I hope you like it," he blushed.

"Of course we will love it cutie," Elizabeth said as she put an arm around Neal's shoulders and the three of them returned to sitting on the couch. Peter carefully undid the wrapping paper because he didn't want to rip whatever was inside. As they revealed the sketchbook paper, both El and he gasped. Neal had sketched a beautiful portrait of him and El sitting with Satchmo in between them. The likeliness, colors, and shadows were almost perfect. "Oh baby," El said as she held her hand up to her mouth. "It's beautiful!"

"Wow champ, I'm lost for words. This is amazing!" Peter joined with his wife in appraising the artwork.

Neal grinned proudly and his ocean blue yes shimmered, "Thank you," he said bashfully. "I'm glad you like it."

The rest of the morning was filled with tearing open wrapping paper and excited childish giggles. Neal had received some new clothes, a stuffed animal, a couple books, and even some toys for Christmas and there wasn't a happier tyke in the entire world. He showered Peter and Elizabeth with thank you's and the prospective parents relished the gracious feeling they received from observing the child's joy. They promised to themselves that they would do anything they could to keep his smiles and laughter constant.

**Merry Christmas! And please review, I love all of the reviews I get and if you want to give me a Christmas present then leave it in the form of a review!**


	5. Dinosaur Leaders and Time outs

**Thanks so much for all of the wonderful reviews I've received and I'm glad everyone's enjoying the little Neal I've created. Right now the story will be settling in to Neal's adoption and will focus on his childish antics, but later there will be the return of Mozzie and some conflict developing!**

**If any of you have cute ideas or suggestions of any adventures Neal should get into, feel free to leave it in a review and maybe I can work it into the story.**

"Caffrey," The little boy said quietly one morning at breakfast. Peter and Elizabeth both stopped eating their waffles to stare at Neal.

"What? Who's Caffrey?" Peter asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Neal had finally decided to tell them his last name. The young boy had enjoyed the last couple days more than he imagined he would and felt that the Burke's deserved the tiny bit of trust the boy placed in them. He didn't necessarily want to leave this new home, surprisingly he liked it more than the streets, but he didn't want to become a bother. He entrusted the Burke's with deciding what to do with him, which was very hard for the tyke to give up control. "It's my last name," the small voice answered.

Elizabeth let out a tiny gasp and joy leapt in her heart as she could sense that they had won over a little bit of the child's trust. But part of her was also upset when Neal released this detail; she didn't want to give him up.

After El dressed the boy in one of his new outfits, Neal played quietly in the living room with some of his new toys. He was lying on the floor with his navy blue sweater over a white stripped button down shirt and new light brown khaki pants. In front him was a ring of toy dinosaurs as if they were his army and he was their leader.

Peter and El discussed in hushed whispers over in the kitchen. "Honey, now that we know his last name we need to talk to social services in order to decide what's best for Neal," Peter's voice said only audible for his wife to hear.

The motherly figure shook her head, "No, I know what's best for him and that's for him to stay here with us!" Her mind was made up and she would not have it any other way. Come Christmas day, the boy had effectively weaseled his way into her heart and El would not give him up. She had longed for a child of her own although they could never have one, but now an opportunity had literally come knocking on their door and she wasn't going to pass it up. That poor boy needed her just as much as she needed him, and she knew her husband had fallen in love with the child as well.

"El you know we can't just keep him, what if he has a relative willing to take him in?" Peter countered. He was just as fond of little Neal as Elizabeth was, but he couldn't let his feelings cloud their decision.

"If there was a relative willing to take him in then don't you think they would've done it by now? No one just lets their nephew or grandchild wander around on the streets, they would have filed a missing child report!" She said in a harsh whisper. A glance at Neal told the couple that the child was still oblivious.

"Then what do you want to do? Adopt him?!" the senior agent asked with an exasperated sigh. In the heat of the moment, he wasn't actually serious, but his wife's answer made him stop and rethink.

"Yes," she said simply. Peter's brown eyes widened as he was caught off guard. Adopt a child? Could they? Should they? He mulled over this idea in his head for a while. The man genuinely enjoyed the litter pitter patter of footsteps around the house, and the way Neal's head barely surfaced above the table seemed to fit in so well with their family. Another glance at the boy snuggling into Satchmo who was bigger than the child pushed Peter into a decision.

"Okay fine, we will try. But we need to ask Neal what he thinks about this." Elizabeth's face lit up with hope and the couple made their way over to the child playing on the floor. Suddenly, the two adults stopped short as they saw what Neal had done. On a small patch of the wall towards the bottom trimming, a color pencil sketch of a TV screen displaying a triceratops was etched onto the wall. Neal and his crowd of dinosaurs sat in front of it.

"Neal?! What have you done?" Elizabeth gasped.

The boy whirled around to face them and looked up with innocent baby blue eyes. "Th-the dinosaurs were getting a mission from their leader. They needed to see him up on the big screen so everyone could hear and watch," he said as a simple excuse. The small boy could see the anger in Peter's eyes as the man crouched down and pulled the boy over by his arm.

"Neal, that was a very bad thing you did. You can't draw on our walls; you can only draw on paper!" Peter commanded with a hint of frustration in his voice. He made strict eye contact with the little boy and saw the child's eyes becoming wet and his bottom lip started to tremble.

"P-please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I swear I will never do it again, just please d-don't hurt me," Neal pleaded pitifully as tears threatened to spew from his glossy eyes.

All anger gone from the gentle woman, Elizabeth dropped down to Neal's height, "Oh sweetie, we're not going to hurt you. I promise we will never hurt you, we just want you to understand that what you did was wrong." The boy nodded his head in shame.

"Good, now you are going to help us scrub this off the wall and then you are going to go sit in time out," Peter finished calmly yet firmly. His frustration had left him when the little boy pleaded not to be hurt. Who could lay a hand on such an adorable boy? It pained him to think that someone had hit Neal before, and he realized that maybe he and El were right to decide to keep him. How could they know what the child had been through? Maybe he had lived with a relative and been abused; whatever the child's story was, the adamant man knew that he would never let anyone hurt Neal again.

After Elizabeth and Neal had finished scrubbing the drawing off the wall, the little boy sat facing the corner. He pouted at his current situation and angrily thought that if he were out on the street then there would be no time out. The boy was grateful that neither Peter nor Elizabeth had hit him, but he still did not like the thought of being punished. At the same time, he was so ashamed of what he had done, but in his reasoning, the dinosaur leader had to communicate with his underlings! He didn't want to be a bad boy, he really didn't, because if he was trouble then Peter and Elizabeth would send him away.

Neal was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hardly noticed Peter sit down next to him until the man spoke, "Neal?" The little boy turned to face him so he knew the kid was listening. "You're a smart boy, and I know you feel bad about what you did, but I want you to think about something else." Neal looked at him with a confused expression. "What else could you have done if you wanted to draw the dinosaur leader?" Peter said trying to teach the boy a lesson.

The boy's little face scrunched up as he thought about the strange question. "I suppose I could've drawn it on paper and taped it to da wall," he said as he realized where Peter was going with this. The older man nodded proud that the little boy had caught on so quickly.

"See? If you had thought before you acted, then this could've been avoided," he said gently. He wanted to propose other solutions to the child in case of future events. Neal nodded with understanding. No one had ever explained something like this to the boy; no one had ever taken time to guide him along the right path. His previous parental figures had simply yelled at him and given him a slap letting him know that there was something wrong in his methods. This time there had been no physical punishment and no yelling, yet he understood better than ever what he had done wrong and knew how to fix it. "Okay buddy, your time outs over." As soon as Peter finished the sentence the antsy child jumped up from his spot eager to move around after sitting still for so long. Elizabeth caught the child who had seemingly just been released from prison and pulled him up to hold him around her waist.

Neal was a bit shocked at being lifted into the woman's arms, but didn't struggle much. She looked at him with eyes almost as blue as his own, "Neal, Peter and I have something we want to talk to you about," she said gently. Peter nodded as he joined the child and his wife in the living room.

Neal was set on Elizabeth's lap as he looked up at the couple. The dinosaur fiasco seemed to be over, so what could this be about? To answer his questions, Peter spoke bluntly, "Neal, we want to adopt you." The little tyke stared with his mouth in the shape of an 'o' and an unreadable expression on his face.

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to let me know what you think in a review! ;)**


	6. Bad Boys and No More Tears

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews and encouragement I've received. This chapter is so bittersweet and unfortunately the next one is going to be too... The new Burke family has a tough time ahead of them.**

The child's brows furrowed. He drew on their walls and they wanted to adopt him? '_No no no no no'_ he thought. Good things like that don't happen to bad boys like him; and that was what he was: just a bad boy. That's what his aunt told him he was, that's what his uncle told him he was, that's all he was. And now as he sat there on the kind woman's lap, he didn't even deserve anything they had given him. He didn't deserve the food, the bed, the presents, or the clothes. But despite all these complex thoughts the little boy was thinking, all he could say was, "I'm too much trouble. I'm not worth it," he managed with a downcast sigh. The Burke's were a good family; Neal wanted to save them before they bought in to his mischief.

Both El and Peter's hopeful faces fell; El's fell into a pitiful look while Peter's fell into confusion. "What do you mean sweetie? Just because you drew on the walls doesn't mean you're a bad boy! You're just a little kid, of course you will make mistakes, but you're not too much trouble and you're definitely worth it!" The woman said kindly. When the look on the child's face showed he was not convinced, she continued, "Neal, listen to me. You are a polite, clever, and very lovable young boy and we would be happy to adopt you if you'll only give us a chance."

The child's face glowed dimly with the slightest hope before he turned to Peter and a look of remembrance came over his big blue eyes. His prospective father was a federal agent and he was a tiny criminal.

"But, but I've done worse things than color on the wall… so bad that Peter could put me in jail!" Neal squeaked guiltily. Even as a small child he understood that the things he did: swindling his way into luxurious hotel rooms, picking pockets, and impersonating a boy scout to steal money from families, were very bad crimes. A few of his dark bangs hung over his eyes as if to hide his shame and he peered at Peter from underneath them. The worst part, however, was that he didn't feel guilty for committing the crimes, but rather that Peter might find out about them and be disappointed. It was fun to lie and stay in the giant, richly decorated rooms or steal from unsuspecting victims, although he would never admit that to the adults now hovering over him.

"Neal, no matter what you have done, you can't go to jail; you're only five. And besides I'm sure nothing is too bad and as long as you tell Elizabeth and me what you did and apologize for it, we will always forgive you," he gave a reassuring smile towards the timid child and then added, "I promise."

Elizabeth, who had been comforting the child by gently rubbing his back, now pulled Neal into a little squeeze of a hug. "I agree with my husband one hundred percent cutie. With your adorable face, nothing you do could be so bad that Peter and I couldn't forgive you," she said light heartedly.

The little boy looked up to the adults with tears sparkling in his vibrant blue eyes. "You really mean it?" When Neal received their nodding consent he decided to take advantage of his opportunity. "Well I lied and snuck into multiple expensive hotel suites, stole from a lot of people by picking their pockets, broke into that boy's house and stole his boy scout uniform, and then conned people into buying Cracker Jacks even though they weren't gonna get any!" he puffed out in one small, quick breath. Neal put his fist up to his mouth and chewed on his knuckles along with giving the most adorable puppy dog eyes he could muster. He figured if the Burkes were going to revoke their decision, now might be the time.

At first both Peter and his wife could do nothing but stare in shock at the tiny tyke who sat in El's lap. How could such a young child manage all of this? Why was he left on his own in the streets to fend for himself? These answers would only come with time, and that was something the Burkes were still willing to give in order to mend the boy's crooked life. "Neal, why would you do all of this?" Peter asked although he was sure he knew the answer. Elizabeth shot her husband a look signifying that she knew the answer as well and didn't want to hear it from the boy's mouth. Surely it would just end up breaking both of their hearts even more.

"I'm sorwy but I had too!" Neal cried with a little tear escaping down his rosy cheek. "I had to weave and run away and then I was on my own! I knew that if adult people found me then they would bring me back but I can't go back! So all I could do was steal so I wouldn't starve and con my way into hotels!" He took his little fists and rubbed at his eyes trying to make the tears go away. Peter and Elizabeth were gonna throw him away now that they knew, and then he was going to have to go back to where he came from. "Pwease don't make me go back! Pwease!" he wailed not able to hold back his tears anymore.

With a thoroughly broken heart Elizabeth pulled the small boy so that she was holding him with his face buried into her neck and her arms wrapped around him. She shushed him as she rocked gently back and forth, and for the life of him, Peter could not figure out how she naturally knew how to calm the child. The awkward man was so thankful for his wonderful, beautiful wife because if she weren't there he would be totally lost. In his defense, it was only children that gave him this discomfort; if this were a hard boiled case then he could crack it in an instant.

"It's okay Baby, we won't make you go back. We already said we would adopt you and we haven't changed our minds," El said soothingly as Neal's cries diminished a little.

Then of course Agent Burke had to press on further with more questions, "Neal, I promise we will still try to adopt you, but you have to tell us where you came from. Who did you live with before? Did you run away from them? Why did you run away?" Once again, Peter was not adequately equipped to deal with children and these rapidly fired questions only caused to make the child's wails return just as strong as ever. His interrogation even earned him a glare from El which he returned with a sheepish look meaning he was sorry. Elizabeth just continued rocking the boy while hushing him and telling him everything would be alright.

After more than a few minutes, Neal's cries finally subsided into tiny sniffles. He had gotten tears and spit and all kinds of gross stuff on Elizabeth's shirt and he was very sorry and ashamed although he couldn't bring himself to say so. It felt so nice in Elizabeth's loving arms and the small child couldn't remember the last time he had been held like that. He thought back as far as he could and figured that the last time he had been held like that was before his dad died. Memories of his younger childhood flooded back to him and he wanted to cry again, but the combination of El's hand running through his hair, Peter steadily rubbing his back, and his pure exhaustion and depletion of tears persuaded him to keep his cool. Instead he stayed quiet and clung around the motherly figures neck.

"Come on Neal, let's go lay down for a nap. You're tired aren't you buddy?" Elizabeth asked gently.

The normal headstrong Neal would've shouted 'No! Naps are for babies and I'm a big boy!' but this time he submitted without any protest and simply nodded his tiny head into El's chest.

Elizabeth stood from their place on the couch and made her way upstairs to put Neal to bed. Peter still sat on the couch and placed his heavy head in his hands. His thoughts fretted over everything that had happened today and all that little Neal had said. How could such a young child have experienced a painful enough past that he would choose to run away to the streets? From bits and pieces of Neal's outbursts, the resourceful agent could piece together that the boy had suffered some form of abuse and had not been cared for properly. Obviously his guardians hadn't even cared when their charge had run away! It made him furious to think of such heartless people, but yet it saddened him to think of traumatized Neal. Peter Burke longed to get to the bottom of this mystery and mend the child's broken soul.

**Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! Constructive criticism, suggestions, and thoughts about the chapter are all welcome and very much appreciated!**


	7. Nightmares and Goodbyes

**Yay another adorable new chapter. Thanks again for all of the readers that reviewed, and a special thanks to peppe1951 who**** asked when Mozzie was going to come back. That gave me the idea for this chapter and Mozzie will appear in the next chapter!**

_Elizabeth stood from their place on the couch and made her way upstairs to put Neal to bed. Peter still sat on the couch and placed his heavy head in his hands. His thoughts fretted over everything that had happened today and all that little Neal had said. How could such a young child have experienced a painful enough past that he would choose to run away to the streets? From bits and pieces of Neal's outbursts, the resourceful agent could piece together that the boy had suffered some form of abuse and had not been cared for properly. Obviously his guardians hadn't even cared when their charge had run away! It made him furious to think of such heartless people, but yet it saddened him to think of traumatized Neal. Peter Burke longed to get to the bottom of this mystery and mend the child's broken soul._

_Through the gaps in his tiny fingers he could see his mom collapse to the floor. A pool of red spread around her as the giant dark man towered over her. From his hiding spot in the bookshelf cabinet, Neal could see the man turn towards his direction. His tiny hand clasped over his mouth to muffle his breathing. 'Mommy, oh mommy no. Don't breath, don't breath, I'm not here," he thought in his terrified state of mind. But the man was now only a foot away and with a sudden crash he flung open the cabinet door and yanked the boy out by his hair. Only the murderer's face was not the same, instead the face took the form of Neal's uncle. Then suddenly his aunt was standing beside the malicious man and grabbed his arm firmly, too firmly; the squeeze made the small boy's skin burn. His uncle picked him up by his shirt collar and threw him to the ground. After the initial harsh collision his body made with the wood floor, Neal felt the floor crumble beneath him as he fell into a whirlpool of darkness. _

Both Peter and Elizabeth rushed upstairs at the sound of screaming. When they burst into the little boy's room they found Neal thrashing about underneath his bed sheet. Peter an El practically dove to the child's side as Peter placed strong arms on the boy's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down while El tried to untangle him. "Baby, baby calm down," she cooed.

"It's okay buddy, it's just a nightmare. Wake up, we're here now," Peter joined along in his wife's comforting calls. The sight of the small five year old tore his heart into pieces, what kind of nightmare could possible make the boy so miserable?

Neal's eyes darted open to find the worried faces of the Burkes above him. Tears hung in his eyes bright blue eyes after his hour and half nap had been rudely ended. The small boy felt sickly in the cold sweat that cloaked his body and let out a little whimper.

Peter pulled the small child against his chest mimicking how El had comforted him earlier, but once he lifted the boy he saw that he was a little more wet than just sweat could have made him. Elizabeth discretely pulled the sheet down revealing a damp spot where the child had wet the bed. "Peter how about you take Neal for a bath? I'm sure some warm water will help wash away the memories of the bad dream," she said as she wiped away Neal's bangs lovingly.

A little tear rolled down the boy's cheek; Elizabeth was just as sweet as his mommy. What if the murderer came to get her too? No, that couldn't be; the murderer killed his mommy because of something bad his daddy had done, at least that's what he heard from his hiding spot in the cabinet. But what if the murderer came back because he found out that Neal had seen him? Neal could remember every detail right down to the placement of the man's angry wrinkles. He shivered at the image.

Peter stood from the bed with the child in his arms, but held him with an arm around his back and the other beneath his knees so that Neal's legs didn't wrap around his torso. Despite wanting to help the child, he certainly didn't want to get urine on himself. He ran the bath water and had Neal check to make sure it wasn't too hot. Then he helped the child undress and held Neal's hand as he climbed into the bath tub.

The boy sat there quietly, embarrassed that Peter was going to help bathe him. Usually he would just take a shower by himself; that's how it worked when he swiped a hotel room and that's how he convinced the Burkes it worked the second day he had stayed with them. The independent little boy remembered assuring Elizabeth that he had taken showers on his own plenty of times now and that he didn't need help; Peter had agreed right away since it meant he wouldn't have to do anything out of his comfort zone. But now as he sat staring up at Peter's caring brown eyes while tears still sat in his own, he wasn't sure that he wanted the man to leave. And Peter knew that.

Overcoming his discomfort and awkwardness, the older man began rubbing the child's body with soap. At first Peter just bathed Neal in silence, but then he decided to tenderly ask Neal about his dream. "Neal buddy, do you want to tell me what your dream was about?"

The boy hadn't said anything since he woke up and he wasn't quite ready to talk yet, so he just shook his head. What if his uncle came back to find Neal? What if instead of hurting Neal, he decided to hurt Peter? Another tiny tear slipped from his eyes and landed in the still tub water causing a ripple effect.

"Are you sure bud? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better. And you know that you can tell me anything and I will protect you. Remember, I'm an FBI agent and I won't let anyone hurt you," Peter said softly.

Neal wanted to believe those words so badly, but after everything that had happened to him, how could he believe an adult? His own father had lied to him and even his mother lied when she told him everything would be alright. The only thing the boy could think of was not troubling these kind people who had opened up their home to a despicable boy like him. Perhaps he could find Mozzie again? That man made it very easy for Neal to make money and he seemed to have a good heart. Mozzie was clever and cautious, there would be no way anyone could hurt him because of Neal.

By the time Peter had finished shampooing Neal's hair, the boy had made up his mind. He had overstayed his welcome at the Burke's and needed to find his way back to the streets. He would find Mozzie and ask to be included in the man's cons.

The night dragged on slowly and most of it was silent except for the occasional conversation between Peter and El. Neal hadn't said much since his nap; part of it was due to the lingering fear caused by his nightmare, the other part was because he knew this would be his last dinner with Peter and Elizabeth. He would miss being held in Peter and El's arms.

As the three of them were cleaning up after dinner, Neal decided to say a cryptic goodbye. "Elizbif, Peter?" Both adults immediately dropped what they were doing and turned towards the boy in anticipation and shock, this was the first time after the nap that Neal had initiated conversation. "Thank you for all you have done for me. I appreciate it very much," the child said quietly as he stared at his feet. He was dressed in his superman pajamas already since he had an accident in his clothes. The oblivious boy still hadn't figured out that he wet the bed.

A lot had happened today and Elizabeth was almost as overwhelmed as Neal was, but her heart melted at the gratitude of the child. She dropped down next to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You're very welcome sweetie," she said as she planted a kiss on his forehead. After his bath the child smelled like sweet kid's shampoo.

Peter took in the adorable sight of his wife and child. More and more he started to hope that Neal would become a permanent member of the Burke family. "Absolutely Neal, and you will always be welcome," he said as he ruffled the boy's hair.

The small child fought back tears as he knew this was the last hug he would receive from Elizabeth, but he would cry no more. It was time to be strong. But he broke from Elizabeth's hug and turned to Peter; he could be strong and independent after one last time hug from the man as well. The tyke fought back shame as he lifted his arms signaling to Peter that he wanted to be picked up.

Having never experienced a child raising his arms to be carried, the man choked on his feelings: feelings of adoration and protectiveness. He raised Neal into his arms and held him tightly; to his surprise the boy wrapped his arms around Peter's neck and gave him a squeeze. Elizabeth moved to her husband's side and put an arm around him with a smile that could light up the darkest room. Peter wished his family could stay like that for a long time.

Neal rustled from underneath his covers and stepped lightly out of bed; his bed that had new sheets on it. He realized that earlier he must have wet the bed while napping; he was just causing so much trouble for the Burkes. When Peter and Elizabeth laid him down for bed, he had to hide his burning shame at what he had done. The kind people hadn't scolded him much less mentioned it, and once again it reminded Neal of how he didn't deserve the adults sleeping in the room next to his.

The small boy pushed the thoughts from his head and silently slipped into some clothes; all of this would soon be over once he returned to the streets. Neal stealthily maneuvered down the stairs and began to unlock the door when something nudged him in the back. Knowing it could only be Satchmo he turned to pet the dog and shushed him. "Sorry Satch but I have to go. I love you," he whispered as he kissed the dog on the head just like El had done to him hours before. The child, whose head just barely reached the doorknob, exited the house as his last words were for the yellow lab to be quiet.

**Aww this chapter is so sweet and sad :( I really don't understand why Neal blames himself so much for the tragic event that happened to his mother and father, or why he feels guilty that his aunt and uncle beat him, but he just does. Poor kid, a boy that sweet definitely deserves the Burke's love, who is the crazy author that wrote this story?! Oh yah... my bad**

**Please don't forget to review, I cherish all the reviews I get!**


	8. Knock Knocks and Hello Hugs

**Thank you for everyone who left a review, they are all so greatly appreciated! I'm sorry this update took too long, but starting school again took a lot of free time away. **

**Since the 5x10 episode and much of season 5 in general has completely brought back Burke the Jerk and even turned his wife selfish, I've been kind of mad at Peter and Elizabeth. Now our only hope is to keep the loving, understanding Burkes alive in our fanfics. I really hope Peter and Elizabeth get off their high horse and return to caring about Neal.**

Neal sat on the park bench anxiously swinging his legs. It was around 7'oclock in the morning and by now the Burkes would notice his absence. A few hours earlier he had sent Estelle with a message for his quirky bald friend; any minute now he should— "Tiny man, where have you been?!" said a voice suddenly from behind.

The child whirled around to see Mozzie, "Mozziee!" he squealed.

Walking around to the front of the bench, the strange man took a seat and pulled out a newspaper to hide his face. "Explain yourself Houdini; one minute you're staying with me in Tuesday and then the next you're gone for a week! Tell me you weren't picked up by cops."

Neal nodded his head as Mozzie peered at him from around the side of the newspaper. The paranoid man's mouth dropped but Neal started to explain before he could say anything. "The FBI found me and you'll never believed what happened! When they brought me in to ask me questions about the gem heist, the lead agent was the same man I sold Cracker Jacks to! I got in some trouble and then he bought me lobster," Neal sighed with a downcast look. He would miss Peter.

"Neal, since you couldn't tell me you weren't picked up by cops, please tell me you didn't say anything," Mozzie asked worriedly.

"Of course not, I would never rat you out!" The boy said with a smile as he pushed the Burkes out of his mind. Mozzie let out a breath of relief. "I just told them I was paid to go and cry in front of the security guard and that the man who paid me was bald." At these words a look of hurt came over Mozzie's face as he reached up to feel his head. He wasn't completely bald, was he? But before the man could fret over his lack of hair, the child continued with his tale. "Then Peter was gonna take me to a boy's home but his wife stopped him since it was almost Christmas! So they brought me to their house!"

"Neal, this is important. Did you find any government secrets, any proof of conspiracies?"

The blue eyed boy shook his head, "Mozziee, don't be silly." The child paused for a second before he said in a small voice, "They took me in, Moz. Elizabef bought me clothes and Peter bought me art supplies. They were so nice," Neal looked down at his new shoes as tears formed in his eyes. He remembered the warm hugs the three of them has shared just last night and wished he could go back. But he knew he didn't deserve them, and he knew that if they tried to adopt him then his uncle would come back.

"Then why did you leave?" Mozzie asked bluntly bringing Neal out of his crushing thoughts.

"Cuz… cuz they're too good for me. I'm better off pulling jobs with you, and then I can make money and take care of myself."

"Listen, believe me when I say I would give anything to have the chance you do. I grew up as an orphan; right from the start I was a baby abandoned on a doorstep. I always dreamed of what my parents were like and maybe one day a family would adopt me, but that never happened. I turned to crime when I was a teen and then I never looked back. It's a hard life Neal, and if you have a chance to get out of it, you should take it!"

The five year-old's lip stuck out slightly as a look of sadness and regret filled his face, "You really think so? But I've been so bad…"

"You're barely tall enough to reach a doorknob and with those eyes there isn't a person on this Earth who wouldn't forgive you and forget."

"My uncle neber forgave me when I was bad. And what if he comes back and hurts Peter and Elizabef?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is the once case when being a Suit is an advantage. He works for the FBI, there's no doubt he could protect himself from a raging uncle."

"But what about you Mozzie? I was gonna help you remember? I was gonna be your inconspicuous little con-kid…"

"Don't kid yourself; you need a family way more than I need you, even if I do enjoy your childish smile."

Neal wiped a tiny tear away as he thought about his choices. "I don't wanna say goodbye to you forever. I've learned more from you in a week than I have in the rest of my short life. Promise me we can meet sometimes? You can give me more interesting books to read and I will give you some of my artwork!" Excitement hung in his voice as hope filled his heart. Maybe this could work out. Maybe the Burkes could adopt him after all. And maybe he could still be friends with Mozzie.

"As long as I remain a secret to the suit, then I don't mind teaching you. Then maybe you won't be brainwashed and have your stealthy talents stripped away," he said with a teasing smile.

Peter peaked into Neal's bedroom; he had been awfully quite throughout the night, not a single stir or nightmare. But as the door cracked open, an empty bed revealed the secret behind the silence. "Neal?" he called trying to keep the panic out of his voice. When there was no answer he figured the tyke must be in the bathroom. But the bathroom was empty. "Neal?!" he yelled so his voice traveled downstairs. But when he reached the first floor, there was no little boy to be found.

At this point Elizabeth had joined her frantic husband downstairs. "What's going on? Where's Neal?" The two did a thorough search of the rest of the house just in case Neal was playing some kind of troublesome hide and seek game.

And after taking a quick look out of the window to search the street, Peter's stomach plummeted as he dropped himself into an armchair with his head in his hands. "He's gone El."

Hearing these words made Elizabeth's blue eyes well up with tears. "No… that can't be! He willingly hugged us last night! He was finally easing into us!"

"Hon, he was saying goodbye," Peter said as he stood to hold his wife. He wanted to wipe away her tears and comfort her, but instead his words whispered a harsh truth. Last night, Neal had said goodbye.

All of the sudden a knock on the door made both adults startle. Peter rushed to the door and flung it open only to reveal no one; until he looked down. At his feet stood a small boy with bright crystal blue eyes, wavy dark hair, and a sheepish grin on his face.

"I'm not selling Cracker Jacks but—" Neal began before he was cut off.

"Neal!" Peter dropped down quickly and wrapped the boy in a hug. Until this moment he didn't realize just how much he had grown to love this child in only a little over a week. "Don't you ever scare us like that again!" he said in a serious yet compassionate tone. By now El had ran over to the door and joined in on the hug.

Peter stood taking Neal with him and the three returned to the living room. "Sweetie, where did you go? We were so worried! What if you had gotten hurt or someone had taken you?" El said all in one breath.

The little boy was so confused; Peter and Elizabeth didn't seem to be angry, at least not right now, but they were genuinely concerned for him. Neal cast his eyes down not willing to look at El's tear filled gaze, "I'm sorry."

The family had repositioned themselves to sitting on the couch with Neal on Peter's lap. Elizabeth carded her hand through the little boy's dark waves; not necessarily to sooth Neal, but rather to feel her baby.

Peter lifted the child's chin so that Neal looked him in his caring brown eyes, "Neal, promise us that you will never run off again like that. I know you feel guilty about some things that happened in the past, but none of that is your fault. You are a wonderful, brilliant little boy and you deserve to have a family and be taken care of. Can you make another promise as well? Next time you are feeling upset or scared, come talk to El and me and we can help you."

The child blinked his eyes a few times causing a flutter of eyelashes. He deserved a family to take care of him. It wasn't his fault that his daddy was gone. It wasn't his fault that his mommy was dead. And it wasn't his fault that his uncle beat him. So much had happened in Neal's five years, and now someone was giving him a shoulder to lean on. He had a woman who loved him and would stroke his hair, cook him meals, and give him hugs and kisses. And he had a man who would protect him, listen to him, and hold him.

Neal wrapped his tiny arms around Peter's neck and remembered the last time he had done this, it was to say goodbye. Now this hug meant hello, thank you, and so much more. Hello to a new life with the Burkes where he could be loved and cared for. "I promise," he said as he burrowed his head into the crook of Peter's neck. Elizabeth put an arm around Neal's back and leaned into her husband's side, and for a nice while, the family snuggled in happiness.

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Please tell me what you think about the story, my writing skills, or the characters. I'm open to constructive criticism. Do you guys think Neal came back too soon and should've stayed with Mozzie while the Burkes searched for him? Do you think that Mozzie being the one to convince him to go back made sense, or was it out of character? In the next chapter do you want a sweet average day with the Burke family, or should I jump right into the next conflict? Answer my questions in a review! Yay!**


	9. Park Play-dates and Little Boy Stunts

**At last! After such a long time I updated, but to make up for it this chapter is the longest yet! Thanks for all of the reviews everyone left and I received a pretty even vote split between moving into the next conflict and having a family bonding chapter. Thanks to a guest reviewer named Tinii, I had the idea for this chapter which meets the needs of family bonding and conflict ;)**

Throughout the night Peter had been getting up and "going to the bathroom"; at least, that's what he would tell himself. Each time he would wake up, he would go to check that Neal was still safe and sound in his bed.

In the previous morning, Peter and Elizabeth had only realized that Neal was gone for a little less than an hour, but just that short time was enough to foretell that if anything like that was to happen again, then the Burkes' hearts would break. Neither Peter nor El wanted to risk waking up another morning to Neal's empty bedroom. So after Peter's last trip to check on Neal around three in the morning, he finally fell asleep for a consecutive five hours.

Since it was Sunday, Peter didn't have to work so the couple enjoyed sleeping in a little bit. Around eight-thirty Elizabeth decided she was done lying in bed with her husband's arms wrapped around her and got up to start her day. Unlike Peter, she had actually slept soundly through the night, probably due to her greater faith that Neal wasn't going to leave them again. She kissed her groggy husband's forehead before she got dressed and then headed downstairs after checking that her little boy was still asleep.

Shortly after his wife had risen, Peter eventually rolled out of bed and threw on some sweat pants and a t-shirt. He almost jumped when he turned around to find a pint-sized child standing right behind him. "Oh Neal, you startled me buddy. I thought you were still asleep," the man said as he ruffled the boy's wild hair.

Neal barely came up to the tall adult's waist and just stared up at him with blank glossy eyes. He looked adorable in his Superman pajamas and messy hair. Peter held back a chuckle when the small child sleepily raised his hand and rested it on the man's belly. "Neal? Are you even awake?" Peter asked taking the boy's hand in his. "You're not much of a morning person are you?" he said with a laugh as he realized the trend. Every morning when Neal would come downstairs he was always a little out of it, but today he was even more zombified than usual.

Peter decided it would be best to just pick the child up and carry him; he didn't want Neal falling down the stairs. The man hoisted the child up on his waste and headed to join his wife downstairs. Neal's mind was obviously somewhere else as the child didn't even pitch a fit about being able to walk on his own.

When Pete walked into the kitchen holding the small five year-old, El smiled fondly at the sight. "Oh there's my two sleepy heads," She said playfully as she stood by the stove cooking sausages.

"Yah except this sleepy head isn't even conscious," Peter responded as he brought Neal over to El. Maybe the smell of savory sausages and toast would wake the boy up. Elizabeth put a hand around the back of the child's wavy hair and planted a kiss on his forehead. She intended on taking advantage of his unaware state since usually Neal didn't allow kisses.

"Hello is anybody in there?" the motherly woman called as she tickled the boy's sides.

A slight smile appeared on Neal's face. "Helllooooo," he said as he wriggled out of Peter's arms and away from El's tickling fingers. He slumped over to a kitchen chair and threw his body across sideways so his belly rested on the seat. "It's too eawly for com-mune-ikay-shun," the boy slurred.

The couple had a good laugh at Neal's childish actions before El went to finish cooking breakfast and Peter joined Neal at the table with a cup of coffee. By now Neal had repositioned himself to actually sitting on the chair with his head resting on the table. "Peter? I need some coffee too," he pleaded as he stuck his bottom lip out and offered bright blue puppy-dog eyes.

"No Neal, coffee is for adults only."

"Pleeeaaasee?"

"No, and your cute face is not gonna work on me."

Neal lifted his head and turned in his seat, "Elizabef?"

"Neal, you can't just ask Elizabeth right after I told you no!" Peter groaned shocked at the audacity of the kid. He also knew that El would probably crack under the puppy dog eyes and at least allow him a sip.

Neal dropped his head back on the table and sulked. Despite Peter claiming that the boy's adorable face couldn't charm him, he still felt the need to appease the boy. "How about this? Since I don't have to work today, Elizabeth and I can take you to the park," he offered.

The child's cerulean eyes lit up as he lifted his chin from the table, "Really? Does it have a playground?" he asked.

Elizabeth had finished making breakfast for everyone and brought the plates to the table setting one down in front of each of her boys. "Sorry guys, but I have to go to work today from eleven to three. So unless you go later, you'll have to go without me." Peter's face visibly fell but luckily the little boy next to him was focused on stabbing his sausage link with a fork. "Oh don't worry Hon, you two will be just fine," she added as she sat across from Neal and placed a comforting hand on Peter. "You can go to the park around ten and then after you're done playing you can go out to lunch." Neal nodded with his untamed hair bouncing up and down; this plan sounded good to him.

Before Elizabeth sent Neal and Peter off to the park, she went over the game plan with her husband again while Neal wrestled with Satchmo. "Okay so you and Neal will walk Satch to the park and then everyone can play. You can even teach him baseball! I packed a backpack with some things you might need, there's bottled water for you and Neal and even Satch. After Neal's had enough, you two can drop Satchmo off here and then grab some lunch. The little guy might be tired later so try winding him down so he'll fall asleep. Remember not to blatantly ask him to take a nap; you know how he is about wanting to be a big boy," she finished as she gave her husband a hug and kiss. El glowed as she relished the feeling of being a mother planning a play date for her baby and his daddy.

Interrupting their precious parenthood moment, Neal's childish laughter could be heard. "Satchmo! Let me put your leash on!" The child said trying to be stern with the dog; however, he was not very successful as little fits of giggles would escape.

"Okay, I think I can do this," Peter told El with confidence. He then turned to Neal and the yellow lab, "Here buddy, let me help with Satchmo." The dog recognized his master and immediately sat for Peter to clip the leash on to him.

"Neal, can I get a hug goodbye?" El asked as she lowered herself to the boy's eye level.

The little boy's independent barrier was not yet fully broken, but he considered this request and decided it wouldn't hurt. Elizabeth's hugs were definitely some of the best. "Okay, but no kisses!" he said cutely as he walked into El's open arms and wrapped his little arms around her neck. Elizabeth smiled and hugged him tightly.

After everyone exchanged their goodbyes, Peter, Neal, and Satch were off to the park.

Peter watched for a while as Satchmo chased Neal over the green lawn. Thirty minutes later, a panting Satchmo and a slightly tired Neal showed up in front of Peter. Neal wanted to take it easy for a little bit, but didn't want to sit and rest because that would be boring. And what five year-old stays in one place for more than a couple minutes? So Peter pulled out a baseball and offered to throw it with the boy. At first Neal was hesitant since he had never played catch before. His dad was never around long enough to teach him how, and his uncle certainly never played with the poor kid. Peter convinced him that it wouldn't hurt to try and that mistakes were perfectly fine and that he would work with him.

The two began to throw the ball back and forth without any gloves, and Neal was enjoying himself and would even laugh it off when he dropped the ball. Peter would take his small arm and show him out to wind up and step into his throw, and Neal would cheer when he made a successful catch. And for the first time in his tiny life, Neal felt as if he had a real father. The kid had always seen happy little boys with their doting fathers, but he had never once been in their shoes and experienced the role of the son.

But Neal wasn't the only one enjoying the baseball lesson; Peter was soaking up every minute of it. His heart overflowed with joy when Neal would take his advice and improve his throw. And every time the small boy caught the ball, he wanted to pick him up and swing him around; although he didn't understand why he was so happy over such a simple thing. It wasn't like Neal catching the ball successfully was a rare feat; rather the child had exemplary motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Neal caught on very quickly and was soon throwing the ball better than most five year-olds could and was catching almost every throw. Still, Peter enjoyed throwing the ball with Neal just as much as he had enjoyed his time playing major-league ball.

The baseball fanatic could've thrown the baseball forever, but Neal eventually grew bored of it and was ready to move on. Satchmo began whining too as all he could do was watch as his humans threw the ball that he wasn't allowed to eat.

"Peter, I wanna play on the playground!" Neal squealed as he tugged on Peter's hand trying to pull him towards the colorful equipment.

"Go ahead bud," Peter said as he gave Neal an approving pat on the back. He on the other hand took Satchmo to go sit on the park bench to watch.

"You're not gonna come play too?" The boy asked with a cute little frown. But after realizing his needy request he quickly added, "Of course you don't have to, it's not like I need you to."

At those comments the man desperately wanted join his boy in all the little games he had in mind, but he knew he was too large to squeeze into the small tubes or slide down the slides. "Oh I'm sorry Neal, but I'm too big to play on the playground equipment. If you want, I can push you on the swings?"

But the child's rare moment of openness and need was gone and he simply shook his head as he ran off to play.

Peter let out a regretful sigh; he wished Neal would drop the solo act. He should've just said yes the first time the boy asked before he could take it back. Instead he pulled out two bottles of water from the backpack. He waterfalled one over Satchmo as the dog lapped up the falling water. Then he sat back with his own bottle and drank as he watched Neal swinging around on the equipment. Children were always so amusing in that even if they were playing alone, they would create a whole new world to interact with. Neal ran and slid down a slide and then tried to reach the monkey bars; fortunately he was too short, since Peter didn't think such a small child should be on the monkey bars anyway.

Neal climbed up the half ladder and dashed through the play set. Then, before Peter could protest, Neal built up a running start, planted his hands on the bar above the ladder, and catapulted himself towards the monkey bars in order to reach one of them. Of course the child was no acrobat, and his fingertips fell short of the bar as he fell more than a few feet and landed on his back with his left arm underneath him.

"Neal!" Peter yelled as he jumped up from the bench. Satchmo beat Peter as he was already running towards the fallen boy. Neal sat up slowly using his right arm to prop himself up while his left arm hung delicately beside him. Heart beating a mile per minute, Peter rushed to the child's side. The man's breath hitched as he saw that Neal's face was white as a sheet and big tears slipped silently down his cheeks.

"Oh Neal, buddy, are you okay?" the fatherly figure asked trying to keep the panicking expression off of his face.

The little boy nodded slightly although he was clearly not okay. Not even one sound escaped the child.

"Are you sure? What you did was very dangerous and that was quite a fall you took." Peter managed to control his emotions and not raise his voice. Judging by that fall, the boy had already learned his lesson about being reckless. "Don't you ever do something like that again Neal. You could have really hurt yourself."

Neal gave another small nod but still didn't say anything. Maybe he was afraid that if he opened his mouth then his sobs would escape.

Peter grabbed Neal underneath his arms and lifted the child to his feet. He noticed how Neal winced slightly as Peter came close to brushing his left arm. "Neal did you hurt your arm?" Another tiny nod came as an answer. "Can I see? Hold out your arm for me please."

This time Neal shook his head and as Peter reached towards the limp little arm, Neal turned his body away. "Wanna go home," he said in a small pitiful voice as another large tear rolled. Peter sighed as he looked at his watch to find that it was 12:30; Elizabeth wouldn't be home for a few more hours. Satchmo wanted to comfort his tiny human and rubbed up against Neal accidently bumping his arm in question. The child let out a painful yelp and then gave a pleading cry to Peter, "Now!"

"Okay, okay. We'll head home now." He grabbed Satchmo's leash and the backpack and held out his free hand for Neal to take. However, the boy now had his right arm cradling his left and was not willing to spare a hand for Peter to hold.

The two walked in silence for the entire five minutes it took to get home. When they entered the house Peter unclipped Satchmo and took a good look at Neal. The boy looked positively sick. All color was flushed from the child's face as he still stood holding his arm. "Neal, are you sure you're alright? You look sick to your stomach," Peter said with concern.

And almost as if on cue, Neal ran to the kitchen and emptied his stomach's contents into the trash. "Neal!" Peter cried as he followed behind the small boy. No longer able to shelve the unbearable pain, Neal burst into uncontrollable sobs. He seemed to melt where he was standing and Peter rushed to catch the child as he collapsed into the man's arms. His heart broke for the child and he yearned to comfort him. "Shh, it's okay little man, what's a matter?" Peter said trying to comfort and stifle the cries. But Neal wouldn't stop. "Your arm must really be hurting. Can I please see?" he asked in a soothing voice before lifting Neal's arm slightly. Peter didn't think it was possible, but when he moved the boy's arm even more cries erupted. "Can you move your arm at all bud?" he asked the child in his lap.

"N-n-noo!" Neal chocked out in between his sobs as he shook his head violently. The man swallowed. Poor little Neal, how could Peter let this happen?! He should've been next to him ready to catch the boy if he fell. He should've told him to calm down and stop running. There had to have been something to prevent this, but even after the accident, why hadn't he seen Neal's intense pain sooner? He should've never believed the young boy when he said he was fine!

"Alright, it's okay," Peter cooed as he stood lifting Neal in his arms carefully so that he didn't touch the child's hurt arm. He wondered if he should go to the hospital; if only El where here, she would know what to do. Peter looked at Neal's slightly swollen arm. Was it bending a little bit? No, his eyes must be playing tricks on him. Still cradling the boy in his arms, he grabbed his keys and the two headed out for his car. There was no way he couldn't take the screaming child to the hospital. "Don't worry Neal, everything's gonna be alright."

He placed the boy into the back seat of his car and the child's uninjured arm shot up and clung to Peter's shirt. Peter held Neal's tiny hand and stroked the boy's hair as he promised that he would take care of him, but right now he needed to drive. After some coaxing, Neal let Peter buckle him into the booster seat that El had bought and as soon as that was settled, the worried father took off. During the excruciatingly long eight minute drive, Neal's cries hardly quieted.

**By the way, the accident that Neal had was actually inspired by something similar happening to my little brother when he was 7. He was playing at a playground at school and pretending to be Indiana Jones. He was on the play set and went to swing off of a bar, but unfortunately he forgot his whip and fell on his arm. Neal's reaction to the incident is exactly the same to my brother's. He was actually suffering from aftershock so he didn't cry at first and tolerated the pain, but after recess it became unbearable and he went to the nurse and then threw up because he was in so much pain :c my poor baby brother**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you think! Also I will use this to bring in Neal's uncle! Dun dun dun!**


	10. Hurts and Home

**A quick and cute update :) Chapters should roll out faster now that I've figured out the rest of the plot and where I'm going with this story. I've got good things in store ;)**

Teary blue eyes stared at Peter. The tough agent couldn't handle their pressure. That broken little face beat down on him and made him feel so useless. Neal was sprawled out on the hospital bed with a sky blue cast that covered his entire arm. The little boy just looked hopelessly at Peter while the doctor and nurse swarmed around him.

Then the door burst open followed by a worried Elizabeth rushing in. "Oh Baby, you poor thing!" she said as she made her way to Neal's side. She ran her one hand through his hair and wiped some of his tears away with her other hand. "How are you feeling, Neal?" she asked with overbearing compassion. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner!"

"Hurts," he said in a weak voice, but water no longer fell from his crystal blue eyes.

"It'll get better, Neal. Mrs. Burke, we've given him some pain killers that should kick in soon," the nurse said.

The doctor cleared his throat drawing the attention of the Burkes, "Mr. and Mrs. Burke, can I speak to you outside?"

With a longing look at the child in the hospital bed, El reluctantly left Neal's side and followed her husband into the hallway.

"Now Mrs. Burke, like we've told your husband, your son has suffered an impacted fraction—" Dr. Ashburn started before he was interrupted.

"What does that mean?" El questioned impatiently. Of course if she had only waited for the man to finish his sentence, he would've told her. But she was too high strung to think rationally at the moment.

"Don't worry; it's nothing too serious, although it needs to be taken care of properly. An impacted fracture is when the bone shatters and the fragments are driven into another bone." Elizabeth tensed and her husband placed a comforting arm around her. "It's very painful, but fortunately Neal's injury isn't too severe and won't require any surgery. As long as we keep his arm immobilized, it should heal nicely on its own."

"Oh thank goodness!" Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief while Peter noticed the doctor didn't look like he was finished.

"How long does Neal have to wear that cast?" Peter asked.

"Children's bones heal much faster than adults, so probably only four to five weeks. These kinds of breaks can be very painful so we will also prescribe him some pain killers. Then after the cast comes off he still shouldn't use that arm much for another two weeks." Dr. Ashburn let a moment of silence pass before he changed subjects. "But there is something else I would like to talk to you two about."

Elizabeth's breath hitched so Peter went on being the brave one, "I know you're probably going to ask us about his legal guardians. But before you jump to conclusions we plan on adopting him soon, we just haven't had the chance lately."

"Well that does answer one of my questions, but there's another one which is also the reason why we didn't contact his legal guardians when he was brought in. Did you know there are signs that Neal's been abused?" the doctor continued carefully.

The agent swallowed and then pulled his wife closer drawing strength from her presence. "We've had that suspicion. When we first found Neal, he refused to tell us his last name and when he did, he begged us not to send him back," Peter said as memories of Neal confessing his crimes flooded back to him. The little boy had been the only criminal Peter felt wasn't guilty and his heart broke to think of the child's past. When he stole a glance at his wife, he saw that it broke her heart too as tears slipped from her eyes.

"I'm sure this must be hard for you to hear, but you should know. This isn't the first time I've attended to Neal. When you first brought him in I thought he looked familiar, so when we took the x-rays of his arm, I also had them x-ray his torso as well. Like I thought, he was the same little boy who I treated three months ago. The x-ray showed that two of his ribs had been previously broken, and the last time he was here I treated him for those broken ribs and a few large gashes on his back. The slash marks were probably from a belt buckle and have healed by now, but there are a few light scars left over." The doctor paused to let everything sink in, but soon continued.

"When he was first brought in he was accompanied by a seven year old boy and his single mother. The boy said that he and Neal were friends and that day he had found his friend bleeding on the playground and so he went to get his mom. Neither the boy nor his mother knew Neal's last name, and when we asked him saying we couldn't find his parents without it, he said 'good' and then refused to tell us. Initially he was in a pretty bad condition, but we fixed him up and he stayed here for a week. We had NYPD keep a look out for missing children matching Neal's description, but no one came to get him. Then one day the nurse went in to check on Neal but he was gone. Of course we reported it to the police, but no one seemed to care. Now that we know his name is Neal Caffrey, we can tell you that he's under the custody of his uncle, Sam Caffrey."

Peter's anger swarmed and he immediately wanted to find this man and throw him behind bars. "Is there enough evidence to convict the uncle of child abuse?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"There's enough to say that Neal has no doubt been abused, our hospital records account for that, but there's no evidence to say that Sam Caffrey is the culprit unless Neal tells us that on his own." At these words Peter had to hold back a scowl; he wanted to tell the doctor all about how he was a special agent for the FBI and knew the law better than any doctor did. He wasn't angry at Dr. Ashburn, just angry at the fact that this wretched child beater could still evade him.

"I'll talk to him, but for now, let's just get him through today," Peter said regretfully. He and El both knew that soon they would file to adopt him and then Neal's uncle would need to be contacted. Peter also knew that if he ever saw this sorry excuse for an uncle, then he would be tempted to put a fist in the man's face.

The two men turned to head back into Neal's room and Peter realized that El had already beaten them to it. The motherly woman was sitting on the side of Neal's bed with an arm wrapped around him and his head lying on her chest. The two looked so precious. "Neal, are you feeling better?" she asked gently.

The little boy nodded his head in her shirt, "Can we go home now? I don't like the hospital."

"Yah bud, we can go home now," Peter said with a compassionate look on his face.

After being cleared and checked out, the hospital staff offered Neal a wheel chair so they could push him out to the car or Elizabeth offered to carry him. Surprisingly Neal chose to be carried. This choice went against every fiber in his body; how could he cling to an adult like such a baby? But Elizabeth was so soft and warm and he was so broken and upset. He just wanted his mommy, the only person who had ever loved him, but now Elizabeth was the next best thing.

Neal wrapped an arm around El's neck and clung to her like his life depended on it. His injured left arm was completely immobilized by the large cast and it hung in a sling by his side. But when Elizabeth went to buckle him into the booster seat, Neal wouldn't let go. He wasn't ready to be separated from his pseudo-mommy.

"Baby, I have to strap you in, I have my own car to drive," she tried. But Neal just shook his brown mop of curls and tears threatened to spill from his unbearable blue eyes. "Peter's gonna be with you all the way home, it'll be okay."

This time, Peter was the one to crack under that adorable pleading face. "Hon, why don't you ride with us and you can pick up your car tomorrow? I'm sure the hospital wouldn't mind if you left it overnight."

"Alright Neal, we'll do this your way," El complied as she gave the child a kiss on his head and then climbed into the back seat with Neal in her lap. She pulled the seat belt over the both of them and little Neal nuzzled into her chest.

It was getting dark out already and the small child hadn't had a nap since his playground fiasco, so within a couple minutes during the drive home, Neal fell asleep in El's arms. When she was sure the boy couldn't hear her, she spoke in a cracked whisper, "Abused and then on his own for three whole months… my poor baby."

Peter managed to lift Neal from Elizabeth's lap without waking him and carried him inside. When in the kitchen, El gently stroked Neal's hair while she beckoned for him to wake up, "Hey baby, are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since breakfast and I want you to get some food in your belly."

Without even opening his eyes Neal shook his head against Peter's chest. "Neal, come on buddy, you've gotta eat something," Peter tried his hand at persuading. "We've got some strawberry yogurt; I know strawberry's your favorite flavor."

At this Neal cracked his eyes open and answered in a small voice, "Okay."

The new parents had survived their first mini trauma and after Neal had finished his yogurt everyone was ready for the day to be over. Peter carried Neal upstairs and El dressed the boy in his pajamas careful not to put his arm in any discomfort. But when it came time to tuck Neal into bed, neither of the Burkes wanted to leave the tyke. " Neal sweetie, do you wanna sleep with Peter and me tonight?" El asked suddenly.

Peter was caught off guard when his wife had offered this, but strangely he wished that the boy would say yes. He felt that the day's events had been partly his fault and he had failed to protect his little boy; now he didn't want to let go of the child in his arms.

To both parents surprise, Neal nodded yes. So the three made their way into the master bedroom and snuggled in together. It was a bit of a challenge to find a sleeping position that allowed all three to be comfortable and for Neal's cast not to bother anyone, but eventually they did and it wasn't very hard to fall asleep after that. Soon El was wandering away into sleep and Peter was about to follow her when a little voice held him back. "Peter?" Neal whispered.

"Yah buddy?" he responded quietly so they wouldn't wake El.

"Don't feel bad, it's not your fault," Neal spoke with wisdom far beyond his years.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked dumbfounded at the little boy's comment. He felt as if Neal was addressing his guilt, but then again, how could such a young child understand?

"I know you feel bad about what happened at the playground, but don't cuz it's not your fault. I don't blame you."

"Oh Neal," he said as he cupped a hand around the boy's face.

A moment of silence and then, "Goodnight Peter."

A large smile spread across Peter's face. "Goodnight Neal."

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and like always, please leave a comment! I did some research for Neal's broken arm so all of the doctor talk is actually factual. I'm very proud of myself. Please let me know what you guys think, any suggestions or ideas are welcome!**


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